Philosophy of Education andThoughts on Education - Essay Example

His teachings were intended for both evangelism purposes and for teaching his followers. Augustine believed in the effectiveness, power, and authority of the Bible, thus his aim was to let the Bible speak to the individuals he was speaking to rather than uplifting them with his eloquence.

This comes off differently from the approach that Socrates used when he was teaching Meno’s slave. Socrates' mode of teaching was more difficult to comprehend, as it did not follow a mentoring type of approach. This made Socrates' mode of teaching relatively harder to understand compared to the method that Augustine used to teach his followers. The methods that Socrates used to teach Meno’s slaves might be considered part of the traditional law of teaching. This is sometimes considered a relatively ineffective form of teaching as it presents a somewhat ironic appeal. The methods that Socrates used have often been considered inadequate as a student may not be able to acquire enough skills that he or she will be able to channel into the solving of other problems. This can happen even to problems that were taught using the Socrates model (De Greef, 2008).

Discussion

The methods that Augustine used are more practical as they can be conveyed from one being to another as long as they are willing to learn and benefit from the teachings that are passed on from one individual to another. Augustine used a form of teaching that was aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of a particular student, as well, as granting them the knack to pass on these teachings to other individuals who were willing to learn from these experiences. As an educator, the more appropriate method of passing on knowledge to the students that one is tasked with is the mode that Augustine used to teach his followers. This mode of teaching has the ability to pass on the skills and knowledge that one has to his or her students. On the other hand, the students will also be able to hand over these dexterities and knowledge to other individuals, be they students or not, in order for them to benefit from them. Using this mode of teaching, an individual will pick up a skill or two and pass it on to the rest of the individuals who have not yet learned from it, or those who have not yet developed a comprehension of the subject at hand.

Both Erasmus and Calvin were individuals who believed in God and teaching that were meant to praise Him. Erasmus believed that reforms in the church could only be done from within. He maintained his Catholic principles such as those exhibited in the element of free will (Erasmus, 1963). Reformers who rejected this notion challenged this. Calvin, on the other hand, believed that the foundation of awareness comes from the Almighty God. Calvin believed that there was no difference between belief and knowledge. In his writings, Calvin wrote that there could never be knowledge without belief.

The impact that these two thinkers have had on the education theory and its observation in the US, as well as Europe can be seen in the manner in which the educational system has taken up the element of teaching. Most educational facilities have made it their mission to pass on skills and knowledge to their students in a manner that they will be able to distribute these elements to the students that have not quite understood the teachings addressed but the instructors. This will help students better learn the teachings taught in their classes (Smith, 2010).

Elaboration

The element of religion is a crucial part of history. It should be taught to all scholars in the public schooling system whether they are in the middle school category or in high school. The element of religion in history is a central piece of the learning process. The student needs to be taught how the element of religion contributed to the learning process in the same way that it contributed to the development of modern nations. In the world that we live in presently, many nations have a single dominant religion that a majority of the citizens believe in as much as the practice of other beliefs is allowed.

In order to avoid potential pitfalls, the instructors in these classes should teach the influence of religion in history without trying to convince the student to convert to a specific type of religion. These instructors should make sure not to channel the minds of their students to the practicing of certain religions, but to show them how religion is an important aspect of history (Noddings, 2011).